‘Not only that,’ Kendal had countered, ‘but also making up a secret room – 007-style. If that room and those photographs aren’t there, she’s going down for first-degree attempted murder. In California, that’s life inside.’
Both detectives agreed that Mary was right – they couldn’t really let her story slide without at least checking it out.
‘Office to the right of the stairwells, right?’ Choi asked, as he closed the passenger door behind him.
‘That’s what she said,’ Kendall confirmed.
They entered the house and slowly crossed the living room, heading towards the stairs. Choi hit every light switch he found on the way. At the stairwell, they veered right, and at the door to Quaddra’s office they found the first full droplets of blood on the floor. This wasn’t where any of the stabbing wounds had occurred – both detectives knew that – there was no blood splatter on the walls or on the door. These were merely blood drops from an already open wound – somebody had walked in or out of that office, dripping blood.
On the floor, in the living room, they had also encountered a faint blood trail, but those weren’t droplets – they weren’t left there by a bleeder – those were blood smears, left there via transference.
‘This is the office,’ Kendall said, pushing the door open.
Choi hit the light switch.
More blood droplets on the floor, and funnily enough, they seemed to be coming from the file cabinet pushed up against the south wall.
‘Now this is getting interesting,’ Kendall said, referring to the blood trail.
‘Let’s see,’ Choi replied, kneeling down by the Victorian chest of drawers to the left of the door. ‘Bottom right-handdrawer, right?’ He reached for the handle. ‘And twist the handle clockwise.’
Click.
Both detectives looked right, in the direction of the cabinet.
‘I’ll be rubbed with salt and laid on the grill,’ Choi said, straightening up his body. ‘It’s a fucking secret door. Just like she said.’
‘Uh-huh.’ Kendall nodded.
They approached the cabinet and pulled it open. The light on the stairwell and downstairs activated. More blood droplets on the steps.
‘Well, fuck me!’ Kendall said before he and Choi pulled out their service weapons at the same time.
‘SFPD,’ Kendall called in a loud and firm voice. ‘Is anyone down there?’
No reply.
‘San Francisco Police Department,’ Choi, this time. ‘Is there anyone in the basement?’
Silence.
They nodded at each other and began taking the steps down one at a time and very slowly – Kendall ahead of Choi. As the stairwell snaked right on itself, Kendall stopped and called again.
‘SFPD. We’re coming into the basement. Is anyone here?’
Not a peep.
Kendall signaled Choi that he was about to have a look.
Choi got ready.
In a very quick dip-in movement, Kendall stuck his head around to look at the basement before dipping out again. He shook his head at Choi. ‘It looks clear, but I’ll look again.’
He repeated the movement, keeping his head in the ‘dip-in’ position for a little longer this time. He couldn’t see anything. He nodded at Choi and both detectives carried on taking the steps down. As they finally reached the basement, Kendall quicklyveered sharp right and Choi sharp left, checking the walls to the right and left of the stairs. There were no other hiding places in that basement.
‘Clear,’ Kendall called.
‘Clear,’ Choi replied.
